Ship hull



Nov. 4, 1947.

D. H. WELSH, SR

SHIP HULL Filed NOV. 8, 1943 Patented Nov. 4, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHIP HULL I David H. Welsh, Sn, Duluth, Minn.

Application November 8, 1943, Serial No. 509,507

4 Claims. (Cl. 11457) This invention relates particularly to a ships hull and to that class of ship which may aptly be referred to as a relatively high speed, light draft cargo and/or passenger ship.

The principal object of the improved shape of, hull and impeller installation is to lessen as much as possible the skinfriction of the hull when being propelled through the water.

Another object is to so shape the hull that the minimum of labor and skill in shaping and fitting the material in the construction of same is required.

Still another important object is to provide such a hull having a normal tendency to lessen the draft in the fore part of the ship as the forward speed thereof increases simultaneously with confining and directing the least disturbed water directly to the impellers of the ship at the stern thereof.

A further important object is to provide a shape of hull that will have the minimum of tendency to displace water laterally therefrom when being navigated forwardly therethrough, but rather to keep it as firm and level as possible and within predetermined defined channels under the after portion of the hull when being so navigated.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the further description of the invention.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application and in which like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the hull of a ship embodying my invention, having the after portion of the near skeg broken away.

Figure 2 is a main deck plan view showing the relative position of the trunk deck.

Figure 3 is the outline of an enlarged transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 Figure l, and

Figure 4 is a similarly enlarged combined bow elevation on one side thereof and the other side an outlined transverse section on the line 44 Figure 2.

The entire hull is substantially rectangular in cross section, though with somewhat varied forms of flat surfaces or facets with a view of using as large a proportion as possible of mill run construction plates and with as little shaping as possible.

As is well known for ideal results in boat navigation, especially in the smaller type of ship construction, the major cross-sectional area of the vessel is at a point, approximately one-third of the length thereof from the bow and which I have learned by actual experiments with a large selfpropelled model to be the ideal point from which 2 to taper the hull both fore and aft for best results during high speed navigation of the instant novel shape of hull.

At this critical point indicated by the line I-! the hull is rectangular in cross-section except that the main deck I is stepped downwardly adjacent the two opposite sides of the hull forming the foremost tapered end l5 of the trunk [6, the deck 2 of which covers the entire trunk, and 3 represents the relatively small poop deck.

Upon opposite sides of this tapered portion of the trunk, the main deck is gradually inclined uppardly till merging with the flat portion 4 of same over the forward approximately one-half of the forward portion of the hull where both main and trunk decks merge, and it is to be noted that this stepping of the main deck not only provides a relatively short inclined runway ll upon each side of the forward end of the trunk, but has the advantage of increasing the headroom therebelow and the strengthening of the entire hull structure and also provides the short triangular strip of bulwark l8 for the inclined runways by the extension of an integral part of the sides of the hull.

Forwardly of this trunk construction the hull is reinforced in a somewhat similar manner by the depending forefoot portion 5 for initial engagement with the water as the ship is navigated therethrough and while this forefoot portion seems to take on a somewhat skeg-like shape, there is no thwartship line through the outer surface thereof which is concave in any sense, thus conserving throughout the advantages of the resistive properties of a convex surface where the wave abuse is greater.

Then for the double purpose herein after described, there is provided the plurality of thin, fine-like spaced skegs 6'l89 and la depending from and forming an integral part of the bottom of the entire after part of the hull to beneath the poop 3, and below which each is equipped with a rudder blade H controlled in any suitable manner, not shown, from the in terior of the ship.

Within each channel-like conduit thus formed intermediate of each pair of these skegs and just forwardly of a plane with the rudder pivots is installed a propeller wheel 12 driven in any desired manner, also not shown, from the interior of the ship.

It is to be noted that the lower line of these skegs is parallel with the trunk deck and that the bottom I3 of the hull which is perfectly flat, is inclined upwardly from the critical point previously more the control of the ship, where confined vl umes of water are thus fed to each propeller is exceedingly effective at all times and almost wholly regardless of the Wave condition of water being navigated.

The strongly skegged fore foot'first to engage any wave condition, does so with the least po's-' sible retarding of motion to the hull and being instantly followed by the wide inclined flaring flat bottom upon either-side of the medial line of the hull and the sharp angle formed by the juncture of the fiat sides and convex fore foot surfaces seems to level off and quiet the disturbance of the parting of the water most effectively. This occurs simultaneously withover-balancing the after part of the ship and augmentingits hold in the water-where itis so vital for the propellers to accomplish their bestresul-ts.

In fact sucha-ship- -seemsto resemble the action of a Caterpillartractor in not only laying, but forming its own track in the water, besides markedly leveling-oif the wave effect initially at the bow andmaterially. preventing rolling of the ship, by confining thelarge volume of water beneath the after major portion thereof I and intermediate of "the conduit formingskegs.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Ina ship hullsubstantially rectangularly shaped-in cross section throughout the aftermost two-thirds thereof, aplurali'ty of fin-like skegs depending from thebottom of said hulland increasing in depth towards the stern thereof from a point where they merge-with afiat bottom portionof said hullgsaid point being approximately at theg-reatest transverse areaof said hull, said skegs forming intermediateof each pair thereof achannel-like conduit terminating beneath and adjacent-the stern of saidhull, a propeller within andv at the after end of each-conduit, a V-shaped forefooton said hullmergingat its after terminus with. the flat bottom thereof at a point coincident with the mergingoflthe forward terminus of said skegs and the fiatb'ottomofsa-id hull.

2. In a ship hull of the character described having a'b'ottom including a fiat portion inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the greatest transverse area of said hull and forwardly of midship thereof and extending to near the after end, a plurality of fin-like skegs depending from said flat inclined portion and extending from the beginning of the flat portion nearly to the after end of the hull substantially the full length thereof, thus forming intermediate of each pair of said skegs, a long tapered tunnel-like conduit under the inclined bottom of said hull, a propeller mounted within the after terminus of each of said conduits and a V-shapedsub'stantially straight stemmed forward under portion extending aft and merging with said flat portion under said greatest transverse area of said hull.

3. A ship hull as set forth in claim 2 further characterized by said bottom being in two distinct planes rearwardly from said greatest transverse area of said hull, the shorter one being directly under the stern of said hull.

4. In a form of ship hull having a plurality of propellers beneath the bottom thereof and having the upper portions of its sidewalls aft of the greatest transverse dimensions thereof flat throughout, a slightly'c'onvex'forefoot of V-shape with the sides of the V slightlyconv'ex'commencing at a point approximately one-third of the total'length ofthe'hull from the stem thereof and extending forwardly to said stem and a fiat upwardly and rearwardly inclined bottom extending from said point to near theextreme stern where it turns mo'reabruptly to said'stern and over said propelling means, said bottom having depending therefrom a plurality ofspac'ed depending fin-like skegs extending its entire length forming elongated tapered channels, one for each of saidpropeller means and each of said skegs terminating in'a rudder."

DAVID H; WELSH; SR.

REFERENCES CITED The following referen'ces'are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,346,505 Preus's- Apr. 11, 1944 1,514,695 Grenier Nov.- 11, 1924 1,412,517 Goldson Apr. 11, 1922 1,408,270 Christiansen Feb; 28,- 1922 352,709 OGrady Nov. 16, 1886 116,024 Clenny June 20, 1871 1,070 Jackson Jan. 18, 1839 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 13,792 Denmark 1 June 10, 1909 448,076- Great Britain June 2, 1936 

